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By Sam Lee

The 28-year-old was found guilty of spitting in the face of Atletico Paranense's Manoel and calling him a "monkey" but is expected to have his sentence reduced to a fine on appeal

Udinese defender Danilo has been sentenced to a year in prison by a court in Brazil for racist abuse.

The center back was found guilty of spitting in the face of Atletico Paranese's Manoel and calling him a "monkey" while playing for Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil in 2010.

Danilo was handed a year's custodial sentence by the 18th Criminal Court of the State of Sao Paolo, although he is expected to have the punishment reduced after appeal to a fine of around 127,000 euros, or 500 times the state minimum wage. The player currently earns 400,000 euros per year.

The 28-year-old, who has made 25 appearances for Udinese this season both domestically and in Europe, joined the Serie A outfit from Palmeiras in the summer of 2011.